Do you have the tools/etc. to deal with reconstruction/damage due to wind/earthquake/etc.?

[The Heretic]

I am not much of a handyman.

I don't have a table saw (just bought a circular saw and I have a chain saw), not sure if I even have a wood handsaw (I think I do, but only one), no saw horses, etc.

No nails or screws, etc.

Yesterday I was replacing some planks in my deck because they rotted. They were installed with screws and my power screwdriver would not remove the screws so I had to pry them up with a mechanics pry bar. Fortunately the board was rotten enough that the crew heads just pulled thru the board. Would have been a lot easier with a longer wrecking bar - so I am shopping for one. Occurred to me it would be handy if I had to replace framing/etc. in my house due a tree falling on it, or earthquake damage, etc.

I would be in a pickle if I needed to repair things. Getting lumber would be difficult in SHTF, but I bet tools would be hard to come by too.

I am slowly accumulating things - in the past it has mostly been mechanical tools because that is what I know, but I am picking up home repair tools and supplies too. If SHTF - e.g., wind storm, earthquake, help, tools and supplies would be hard to come by. I remember the Columbus Day storm - my dad was lucky in that he was able to find a chain saw at Sears, but there was a lot stuff to cleanup - the storm took down the windmill building next to the house and the barn and garage were tilted. A lot of roofing needed to be repaired and large fallen trees removed. Trees fall all the time up here.

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[Dungannon]

I have the tools, but they will be hard to reach if one of the big fir trees lands on my garage. When I rebuilt my deck, I used square drive stainless steel screws because I had your experience taking up the original deck. My impact driver worked better than the battery powered screw-gun in any event.

Some of the families I helped after hurricane Katrina lived on rural properties and it typically took a week or more to clear all the trees that fell across their driveways. Even then, some couldn't get to town with a truck until all the roads were cleared. They survived despite the heat and humidity because they had the skills and muscle-powered tools to enclose at least a portion of their damaged homes from the weather. Many had generators but quickly ran out of fuel because they wanted to power everything in their house. And when they went to gas stations, they found out fuel was inaccessible with power to pump it from the tanks.

 

[RVTECH]

Pretty well equipped personally.

I am the neighborhood repairman, welder, handyman etc.!

 

[The Heretic]

I have the tools, but they will be hard to reach if one of the big fir trees lands on my garage. When I rebuilt my deck, I used square drive stainless steel screws because I had your experience taking up the original deck. My impact driver worked better than the battery powered screw-gun in any event.

Thanks - I was wondering what kind of screws I should get to replace the phillips head screws.

Some of the families I helped after hurricane Katrina lived on rural properties and it typically took a week or more to clear all the trees that fell across their driveways. Even then, some couldn't get to town with a truck until all the roads were cleared. They survived despite the heat and humidity because they had the skills and muscle-powered tools to enclose at least a portion of their damaged homes from the weather. Many had generators but quickly ran out of fuel because they wanted to power everything in their house. And when they went to gas stations, they found out fuel was inaccessible with power to pump it from the tanks.

Every once in a while we have had to remove trees from the road. If they are such that pulling them off the road is not possible (too long) then cutting them at one side I could then pull any log off/aside with my flatbed enough to get a vehicle past it - BTDT - between being a 5 ton 4x4 and the diesel, it hardly knows there is a log back there; I have yarded many a log out of the woods with it (including logs buried under other logs), where my Toyota 4x4 pickup just sits there and spins the tires.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Over the last 30 years or so, my wife and I have bought and sold 9 houses. Not because we were flipping them, but because of CG transfers, new jobs etc. We generally bought the cheapest house in the best location and fixed it up. Over the years I've accumulated enough tools and know how (learned from my many mistakes) to pretty much take a house down to the studs and fix it how we want it. I found using screws (I prefer the torx bit style) is great for putting something together a little off kilter and being able to adjust it but pulling the screw back out, moving it and putting it back in. Once you pound a nail in, it gets tougher. We try to keep a stack of 2x4's and a few sheets of plywood around at all times for quick fixes as well.

I have a set ofDeWalt 18v & Milwaukie M12 tools (sawzalls, circular saw, impact driver, impact drills, high speed drills, ratchet, recip saws etc...) that will cover pretty much everything and with about a dozen batteries charged all the time, hopefully last until the power comes back on. Still can charge them with a generator (which I really need to buy since I sold my last one before I moved) too. Plus then lots of hand tools in case it doesn't come back on any time soon.

We also keep about 20 gallons of gas on hand (mostly for the jet skis, lawn mower, power sprayer, chain saws) and also try to never let the vehicles get below 1/2 tank of gas.

Like I said, I think a generator is a big deal since power is usually down pretty quickly in a catastrophic incident. It will also run the water pump if the system shuts down.

Good topic, and it got me to thinking a little more about things. You never know if the next riot is going to be at the power station or water plant.

 

[The Heretic]

I am slowly acquiring "handyman" tools and supplies - I've had rolls of heavy mil plastic sheeting for a while, in case a roof needed to be covered. I used to have plenty of nails - a big box of them, but gave them away when I moved from Seattle to Oregon because I had not used them in decades (I rented) and I didn't want to move them.

I've think that nails in decking would probably work loose over time. Some of the planks in my largest deck are rotting and have moss growing in/on them. Four of them had a rotten end so bad that they were coming apart. So I am replacing them.

When I first got here I painted the smaller decks (about 100-200 SF at the entrances) with mildew resistant paint and put coarse sand down on the paint to make them non-skid. That worked well and the decks had no problem with moss/etc.

But the big deck on the north side of the house is shaded most of the year, was already painted and I had run out of time and paint, so I did not paint it - that was a mistake - over the years it got bad so now I need to repair it - at least replace the worst of the boards - maybe more later.

 

[Stomper]

Not only do I have all the tools (and skills) needed to build just about ANY structure, I have acquired at least 2-4 of each them over the years.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

I have the tools and materials to make quick and dirty fixes to just about anything on the property. What I should probably have is a decent supply of gas to run my generator if it ever became hard to aquire.

 

[The Heretic]

I think my next tool (besides a wrecking bar - which I have in my shopping cart on Amazon, along with decking screws) will be a sawzall - not sure about whether it will be battery or corded. Still looking for a used drill press and bench grinder. Picked up a metal workbench about a month ago, a vise a year ago.

 

[The Heretic]

I have the tools and materials to make quick and dirty fixes to just about anything on the property. What I should probably have is a decent supply of gas to run my generator if it ever became hard to aquire.

I have a 55 gallon drum full of gas. Not going to fill the 250 tank with diesel until I move.

 

[Oryguner]

Not only do I have all the tools (and skills) needed to build just about ANY structure, I have acquired at least 2-4 of each them over the years.

Yep....what he said.

 

[Stomper]

I think my next tool (besides a wrecking bar - which I have in my shopping cart on Amazon, along with decking screws) will be a sawzall - not sure about whether it will be battery or corded. Still looking for a used drill press and bench grinder. Picked up a metal workbench about a month ago, a vise a year ago.

Also, get a hammer... that says, "operate from THIS end".

 

[Dungannon]

I think my next tool (besides a wrecking bar - which I have in my shopping cart on Amazon, along with decking screws) will be a sawzall - not sure about whether it will be battery or corded. Still looking for a used drill press and bench grinder. Picked up a metal workbench about a month ago, a vise a year ago.

I have both. The battery powered reciprocating saw gets used for pruning as much as deconstruction. I bought it in 2006 after the first Katrina trip, as we had to cut power to properties [assuming it still had electrical power] before working on houses that had been flood damaged. The corded reciprocal saw has the torque for big jobs. I have a few pruning blades and a few hacksaw blades; but buy the bi-metal de/construction blades in 50-packs.

 

[The Heretic]

Also, get a hammer... that says, "operate from THIS end".

Hammers I have, including a framing hammer I bought 45+ years ago when I worked in a manufactured home factory (I framed and installed the walls). SIL has more woodworking tools than I do - he enjoys that stuff, but his garage is so packed with junk I have no idea how he would get to anything in it - I am surprised that it all doesn't come out when they open the garage door. At least I have a decent shop and room to move around in it.

 

[The Heretic]

I have both. The battery powered reciprocating saw gets used for pruning as much as deconstruction. I bought it in 2006 after the first Katrina trip, as we had to cut power to properties [assuming it still had electrical power] before working on houses that had been flood damaged. The corded reciprocal saw has the torque for big jobs. I have a few pruning blades and a few hacksaw blades; but buy the bi-metal de/construction blades in 50-packs.

I am thinking I will get a corded saw - a Skilsaw 13 amp model. I have a genset and will get a smaller portable Honda ~2-3KW genset too - enough to run one or two power tools and to run the freezer in the shop. I figure if SHTF and I need to do demolition/repair work, I am going to need the gensets to power stuff anyway and a single charge on a battery powered tool won't be enough.

I have a chain saw and a Stihl Kombi with a pruner chainsaw on a pole for pruning limbs, along with a hedger attachment and various weed eater attachments - the best is a circular blade with a chainsaw edge - for my uses, almost as good as the chainsaw pruner (better for bushes/saplings I want to cutoff near the ground), but with a lot more kickback and you have to be careful with it. The hedger and pruner get used the most; the pruner cuts limbs, the hedger cuts softer thinner bushes/etc. that the pruner just deflects. The only problem with the Kombi is that it is a bit awkward - especially in tight places - it is at least 6' long with most attachments.

 

[Stomper]

I am thinking I will get a corded saw - a Skilsaw 13 amp model. I have a genset and will get a smaller portable Honda ~2-3KW genset too - enough to run one or two power tools and to run the freezer in the shop. I figure if SHTF and I need to do demolition/repair work, I am going to need the gensets to power stuff anyway and a single charge on a battery powered tool won't be enough.

I have a chain saw and a Stihl Kombi with a pruner chainsaw on a pole for pruning limbs, along with a hedger attachment and various weed eater attachments - the best is a circular blade with a chainsaw edge - for my uses, almost as good as the chainsaw pruner (better for bushes/saplings I want to cutoff near the ground), but with a lot more kickback and you have to be careful with it. The hedger and pruner get used the most; the pruner cuts limbs, the hedger cuts softer thinner bushes/etc. that the pruner just deflects. The only problem with the Kombi is that it is a bit awkward - especially in tight places - it is at least 6' long with most attachments.

Skillsaw.... get the MAG77 worm drive!

 

[The Heretic]

Skillsaw.... get the MAG77 worm drive!

I already have a circular saw. I was talking about getting a recip saw.

 

[Stomper]

I already have a circular saw. I was talking about getting a recip saw.

Ahhhh Skil branded recip-saw, got it.


Math is hard!

 

[WWShooter]

Regrettably, I've never met a tool I didn't love. A woodworking hobby, restoring cars, building two kitchens, a reloading and shooting hobby, 10 acres to maintain and ordinary home maintenance (electrical, plumbing, paint, yard, etc.) will do that to you.

 

[Astoria9mm]

Thanks - I was wondering what kind of screws I should get to replace the phillips head screws.



Every once in a while we have had to remove trees from the road. If they are such that pulling them off the road is not possible (too long) then cutting them at one side I could then pull any log off/aside with my flatbed enough to get a vehicle past it - BTDT - between being a 5 ton 4x4 and the diesel, it hardly knows there is a log back there; I have yarded many a log out of the woods with it (including logs buried under other logs), where my Toyota 4x4 pickup just sits there and spins the tires.

Stainless for sure.